Elder's Island
by DREAMFeathersong
Summary: Whatever happened to the elders that the Clans left behind so long ago?
1. Chapter 1

Shadepelt was carrying her catch back home; one fish and a skimpy rabbit on the WindClan border. She was dying to eat it all in one ravenous gulp. But, the elders must be fed first.

Shadepelt smiled at her little joke. They were all elders, including her. It had been three days since the Clans had left to find a new home. Mudfur had died the day before, after a day of being unconscious. Shadepelt and Loudbelly had stayed by his side until he died. Frostfur and Speckletail had kept their distance, respecting the fact that they wanted time alone with their medicine cat.

After Mudfur died, the two ThunderClan elders had buried him next to his den, leaving Shadepelt and Loudbelly to their memories.

But now that was behind them, and the four elders had to survive. Shadepelt, being the youngest, caught the most. Speckletail and Frostfur tried their best to find land prey, but it had taken its toll on them. Loudbelly just complained.

So far, the Twolegs had not bothered them. The island that had once been RiverClan camp was sheltered nicely, and the elders did not have to walk far for fresh water.

Shadepelt carried her prey to the middle of the island, where the other elders had gathered. She dropped the rabbit by Frostfur and Speckletail, knowing they would rather eat that than fish. They nodded gratefully, then bent down to eat it.

She walked over to Loudbelly, and they began to eat. The fish was salty and fresh. It satisfied Shadepelt's hunger, but also made her crave for more.

After finishing, Loudbelly grunted his thanks. Or maybe it meant he wanted more. Either way, he went to go share tongues with Speckletail, while Frostfur came over to her.

"No luck?" Shadepelt asked.

"No, not even a whiff of prey. At this rate, we'll be dead before the full moon." Shadepelt opened her mouth to protest when Frostfur continued. "Face it Shadepelt, we're not as young as we used to be. You can't hunt for us everyday, and even if you could, prey is scarce. Don't try to argue with me."

Inside, Shadepelt knew she was right. But she couldn't give up that easily. She was born a warrior, and she will die fighting to help these cats.

Frostfur stood up. "You coming to the den?" Shadepelt looked up at the sky, the moon was already rising. She saw Speckletail and Loudbelly get up, and walk side by side to the old warriors den. "Yeah. I'm coming."

. . . . . . . .

When Shadepelt woke up, she noticed she was alone in the den. She walked out to see that all the elders had gone out, even Loudbelly. She picked up their scent leading towards the river. At the river, she saw Loudbelly teaching Frostfur and Speckletail how to catch fish. They were all standing stock-still, waiting for a fish to swim by. Eventually, Loudbelly reached in with his paw and scooped out a small, wriggling fish. He scooped it on shore and killed it.

Frostfur and Speckletail turned their attention back to the river, scouring the banks for more fish. Shadepelt silently came over and sat down, only nodding a hello.

By sun-high, the elders started getting fidgety. It was clear no more fish were going to appear, so they got up and went back to camp, with Loudbelly carrying his fish. They gathered around it, and each ate their small share. Shadepelt noticed Speckletail and Frostfur cringe at the first bite, but they didn't say anything.

Everyone was tired, so they skipped sharing tongues and went right to bed. Frostfur curled up beside her. "Goodnight Shadepelt." But Shadepelt didn't respond. She was too tired, and too hungry, and just wanted to fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a half-moon since the Clans had left. Food was getting scarce. The Twolegs had poisoned the river, so they couldn't fish. They had to rely on whatever land prey found its way towards them, hoping for some shelter towards the monsters.

Shadepelt watched as her friends slowly got weaker and weaker. Being the most fit, Shadepelt felt responsible for them. She worked extra hard, tiring herself out. She only managed to catch the slowest, most stringy prey. It was pretty depressing.

After catching a water vole, Shadepelt slowly walked back to camp. Frostfur and Loudbelly were in the clearing, trying to catch some sun to warm their pelts.

Shadepelt dropped the vole. "Where's Speckletail?"

Frostfur looked up, slightly puzzled. "She was here a few minutes ago." She looked around before relief flooded in her eyes. "In her nest."

Shadepelt turned around. Speckletail was fast asleep. "If she sleeps any more, she'll miss her meal!" Frostfur purred with amusement.

Shadepelt went over to Speckletail, going to wake her up. She stopped, dead in her tracks. She dug her nose in Speckletail's pale fur. It was cold, and limp. Shadepelt could feel every one of her ribs.

"Frostfur! Frostfur, get over here! Now!"

Frostfur rushed over, worry in her eyes. She seemed to instantly what was wrong. "Speckletail, oh Speckletail!" She wailed, plunging her nose into her friend's flank.

. . . . . . . . . . .

After Speckletail's death, Shadepelt felt numb, as if she were just going through the movements of her life. Speckletail had died of starvation; they didn't need a medicine cat to figure that out. What they needed was strong warriors.

Frostfur now refused to get out of Speckletail's nest. She stayed nestled in the same dirty moss, ignoring Shadepelt and Loudbelly's pleas to get out.

Shadepelt and Loudbelly now hunted three times a day, trying to find anything to eat. They would be lucky to find one fish each day, let alone catch it. Whatever they caught, Shadepelt gave to Frostfur and Loudbelly first.

After another two days, Speckletail slowly moved to the back of Shadepelt's mind. There were more important things to worry about. The Twolegs had just put in some smelly Twoleg thing, stopping the river. They now couldn't find any food whatsoever, except for the occasional bird landing, searching for food.

Shadepelt and Loudbelly had given up hunting. They stretched out in the sun all day, Frostfur in the middle. They all stayed silent, listening to the grumbles of their stomachs.


	3. Chapter 3

The three elders lay on the dead grass, in the same place as they were two days ago. Their breathing had slowed, and Shadepelt's mind had emptied of everything. Her eyes fluttered open, seeing the blue sky.

The geese flew above, happy and care-free. _Almost like they're mocking me…_ Shadepelt sighed. She heard Loudbelly shift over to his back. She stood up, then slowly walked over to him. He was looking up at the sky.

"The sky is so much different than down here. So perfect. So beautiful. I wish I were a bird." He sat up next to Shadepelt. "How do you think the Clans are doing?"

Shadepelt stared at him in surprised. They hadn't talked about the Clans since the day they left. She looked in the direction of Highstones, just seeing the tip of them against the sky. She looked back at Loudbelly, seeing her reflection in his eyes.

"I think that wherever they are, StarClan is with them, in their hearts. If they stay there, the Clans will always be safe."

Loudbelly looked at her in mild surprise. "For one so young you are very wise." He took a deep breath. "Does the same hold true for us? Is StarClan here?"

Shadepelt already knew the answer. "They are with us, they just aren't here." Shadepelt was surprised by her wisdom as well. It must have rubbed off from living in the elder's den for so long.

Clouds suddenly came rolling in, blocking off part of the sun. The sunbeams cast a glow on Frostfur's coat, showing her white fur as sparkling silver. All around Shadepelt, there was a soft scent, like oak trees and dirt. Then the scent vanished, along with the sun.

Shadepelt scrunched up her face, thinking hard. _Was it a sign from StarClan?_ _Did they hear me and Loudbelly talking about them? _She focused on Frostfur, undisturbed by this. The sight made the fur rise up on the back of Shadepelt's neck. She didn't know why.

She bounded up to Frostfur, but before she got there, the smell of death hit her like a wave. She stumbled, falling to the ground. She could hear Loudbelly calling her name, coming up to her, somewhere in the distance.

Her vision cleared, and she saw Loudbelly's face. He knew. They slowly went up to Frostfur. Shadepelt began sniffing all over her, looking for a trace of life. All she could feel was the cold, cold body.

"Frostfur, I let you down. I couldn't feed you. This is all my fault!" She wailed as loud as she could, not caring how stupid she sounded. She just wanted Frostfur to hear her. But no one came. No scent of oak or dirt.

Just the empty air and Loudbelly's comforting licks. "There was no food, what could you have done?" Shadepelt just laid down next to her friend's body, and gave her fur a lick one last time.


	4. Chapter 4

Frostfur's death left the two elders feeling empty. The island somehow seemed darker and colder without Frostfur. They were more hungry than ever, and two days later, they didn't have enough energy to move.

Shadepelt didn't have the energy to care.

_Frostfur is punishing me. She hates me now, I just know it. But I deserve this punishment. _"I'm sorry Frostfur…." Shadepelt mumbled this once again. She could sense Loudbelly's annoyance by this, but he never said anything.

The only thing that kept Shadepelt from going mad was the talking. She and Loudbelly would swap stories, share memories about their clan. Loudbelly did most of the talking, but Shadepelt liked listening. He always made even the simplest stories seem like an adventure.

"_Did I tell you about the time I was an apprentice and got chased up a tree by a dog? I was so mad at Oakheart for not letting me fight." _Shadepelt had heard this story many times before, and she enjoyed hearing it as she fell asleep.

"_Boy, did Crookedjaw show him! That dog was never seen again!"_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shadepelt slowly opened her eyes, getting used to the light of the day. She was well-rested after her long nap. She tried to look over at Loudbelly, but found she was too weak to move. All of a sudden, it didn't seem to matter very much anymore.

After a while, Shadepelt had finally moved herself so she could see Loudbelly's face. He was staring up at the sky, not focused on anything. He seemed deep in thought.

Shadepelt called out his name, but it sounded more like "Lrdalry…" He didn't seem to even notice her existence. And he smelled funny...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It had been about four hours since Loudbelly had stopped talking to her. Shadepelt had tried to get his attention many times, but he kept staring at the sky with his glazed-over eyes. She had finally given up, one last time calling him. "Mrse-brin."

Shadepelt soon found herself getting very tired. She smelled a faint trace of Loudbelly's scent, along with two other cats that seemed so long ago. She knew what was happening.

Shadepelt gave her body a final twist, and waited. She wanted her last sight to be the stars.


	5. Epilouge

Shadepelt found herself in RiverClan camp, as it was before the Twolegs came. She looked around her. At the entrance were Loudbelly, Speckletail, and Frostfur. She bounded over to them.

"Welcome Shadepelt," Frostfur purred.

"We've been waiting for you." Speckletail came over and rubbed muzzles with her.

Loudbelly nodded at her, a twinkle in his eyes.

"You've been waiting for me?" Shadepelt somehow felt honored.

"Yes, we will make the journey to StarClan together. We must follow the Clans." Frostfur nodded towards Highstones.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shadepelt felt a new energy course through her as she ran beside Loudbelly and Speckletail. She felt the wind through her pelt, and felt truly alive.

After three days, they met different cats. They were from the Tribe, the Tribe of Endless Hunting. There, they stayed and rested, and heard many stories of the Tribe, and Feathertail's victory.

The next morning, they set off again. They had full bellies, and trekked over the slippery rocks. By sunhigh, they had made it out of the mountains. BY moonhigh, they stood over the lake. It was shimmering, and down below, they could see the cats of StarClan hunting, or gathering to talk with one another.

They all looked at one another, smiling. Shadepelt felt warmth as Loudbelly rubbed against her, his tail pointing down. Shadepelt looked down, gasping in disbelief.

Down below, she saw her mentor, Stonefur, talking with Brindleface, a ThunderClan queen

Shadepelt had never known her father, but she liked to think as Stonefur as her father. They had been very close, even when she was a kit. They had grown even closer when she became his apprentice.

Shadepelt raced down the hill. As she got closer, she saw Stonefur sniff the air, then turn in her direction. But he was too late. She tackled him, sending him to the ground. He growled playfully, swatting her across the ear with his paw. She growled back and sat on his back, squishing him.

"Let me go you fat lump!" Stonefur tried to stand up.

"Begging for mercy are we?" Shadepelt teased playfully. She stood up, letting him get off the ground. She purred loudly, rubbing her muzzle against his. "I missed you Stonefur."

He purred back. "I've never been far."

Loudbelly, Frostfur, and Speckletail caught up with her, the ThunderClan elders walking up towards old friends. They stopped to talk with Greypool and Stonetooth, both welcoming them eagerly.

Shadepelt saw Birdflight telling stories to Adderkit and Mosskit, while Mudfur was teaching Blossomkit the different herbs. Sweetpaw and Gorsepaw were mock-fighting, and a hunting party led by Palefoot returned.

She saw WindClan sharing tongues with ShadowClan, while SkyClan and ThunderClan gossiped. Stonefur nudged her gently. "Welcome to your new home."

**Story's finished! Thanks to everyone who commented and reviewed! You guys make my day!**


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